Gotham Rising
by vobis.spes
Summary: :::ON HIATUS::: As Gotham rises from effects of Bane's occupation, waves of crime overwhelm Gordon and the police. Faced with new political corruption and the emergence of Gotham's old mob, Blake must find a way to help Gotham and simultaneously fill Wayne's shoes.
1. Prologue: Batman Is Dead

Prologue

* * *

A lone figure stood in an abandoned shipyard overlooking the decrepit docks of Gotham's gray harbor. Leaning on the handle of a long, black umbrella, he simultaneously polished his spectacles on the corner of his sleeve. Dressed in warm, black coat, he did not heed the blasts of cold wind that swarmed the waterfront of the city, nor did he worry about the grey clouds forming overhead. Night was falling quickly. But for the first time in ten years, he had no reason to fear it.

Batman, the scourge of Gotham's criminals, was dead.

And after an eternity of waiting for this moment, he was overwhelmed with vengeful joy. Like many others involved in crime, the arrival of Gotham's Dark Knight crushed him and his empire of thugs without mercy. More restrictions on the mob meant more jail time, less profit, and scores left unsettled. Malice poured through his eyes as he finished polishing his glasses and placed them on his head again. Only one thing served as comfort to him now - retaliation.

_Oswald Chesterfield has come home. _


	2. Chapter 1: Dawn

Chapter 1: Dawn

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The cry of the alarm clock only lasted for around three seconds before a sleepy hand lashed out, smacking the OFF button. A few more minutes passed, in which the tired individual hid under the warmth of the covers and braced herself for the new day.

Snow was piled high on her windowsill, and every time she gazed at it, a cold shiver ran down her spine as she fought the desire to crawl back under her comforter.

_"Why is always so hard to wake up during the winter?" _ She thought, pushing her tousled, long brown hair out of her eyes, "_Let's just take this one step at time…"_

Convincing herself to sit up was the first big accomplishment for the morning. After that, the effort it took to reach the bathroom, wash her face, brush her teeth, and shower required more willpower, but was the decisive victory in her battle against the enticing comfort of her bed. Soon, a heavy steam filled the bathroom as she basked in the hot water, forgetting that a mere few inches of wood and insulation separated her from the freezing weather outside.

She could hear her cell phone's ringtone on the nightstand as she emerged from the shower. Throwing on a white robe, she hurried to answer it when her toe caught painfully on the bed's wood frame.

"Dang it!" She hated hotel rooms.

Grabbing her toe in one hand and snatching up the phone in the other, she managed to answer before the last ring.

"Hello?"

"Audrey! Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you all morning!"

_Curses… it was him._

"I told you not to call me, Hogan."

"Yeah… we should really talk about that, but right now I have something that might interest you," he sensed an angry retort coming his way, so he thought it would be strategic to appear useful.

"At this hour?" She didn't need to look at a clock. Her head was reminding her how early it was.

"Yes, at this hour!"

"Then what the hell is it?"

"Geeze, all right!" He sounded offended, but Audrey could almost see his smug smile, "Listen, I have a lead for your story-"

"You have a lead for _my _story? What, are you going to take my job next?"

"Take it easy, sweetcakes… I'm just trying to help. Anyways, about this lead… his name is Edward Nigel, former detective… really intelligent guy. Any questions you have on the city or this vigilante character, he'll have answers. Look him up."

"I guess I will."

"So how's Gotham?"

"Cold."

"I hear there's a lot of criminals on the loose… watch yourself, baby."

"I plan to… goodbye, Hogan." Ignoring his multiple, gushing endearments, Audrey hung up the phone with a deep sigh and tossed it onto the middle of her bed.

Audrey Ross was a journalist for the Philadelphia Trumpet, a small-scale news service that was rarely known anywhere but in Philadelphia. News there was like stagnant water – nothing new ever happened. Every day it was just another crime, another drug ring, political scandal, or rally of homeless hobos waving signs for more food stamps and welfare.

So when she was offered a position covering the story of Gotham's current state after Bane's infamous siege, she didn't look back.

A newspaper, which must have been shoved under the door by the maid, caught her interest. Dragging herself off the bed, she went to retrieve it.

Right away she was attracted to a front-page piece about Gotham's newly elected mayor, Osborne Reed. It read:

"_After a predictable win in the recent mayoral elections, Osborne Reed maintains he will deliver on his promise of cleaning up the streets of Gotham. With more than a thousand criminals released from prisons around the city, his promise is well justified. 'We have suffered great loss and fearful occupation,' he said in a recent rally, 'the criminals set loose in our streets threaten the security and stability of this great city. A great hero, whom we unjustly persecuted in our vengeance and foolishness, has paid the ultimate sacrifice for our safety. Uncertainty frightens us all. But with your continued bravery and support, we will prevail_.'"

The piece continued detailing facts about Mayor Reed – facts that Audrey already knew. He was a former lawyer, family man, all around great guy. But most importantly, he seemed to be the only man since the mysterious hero, Batman, who inspired hope in the hearts of Gotham citizens.

As she perused through the remaining pages, she encountered numerous stories about the bravery of Gotham's police force during the occupation. Some of it bordered on propaganda (_laude_-style journalism, painting up the Gotham city police as angels), but who could blame the newspapers for trying to encourage their overworked, under-appreciated law enforcement? Those same cops (Commissioner Jim Gordon, among them) risked their lives to protect the city during the occupation, and now they risked their lives trying to restore it.

"_Gotham's finest is running on fumes_," She thought to herself, making a mental note to schedule an interview with the Commissioner… and Edward Nigel.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Phew! I really didn't know where to start my first chapter... introducing Blake immediately seemed lame and I needed to create the setting for Gotham, so chapter one was dedicated to that. Next chapter, I'll start to develop Blake as he prepares to fill Bruce Wayne's shoes. Some of the writing is not what I wanted it to be, but maybe that's because it's like 2 AM. I'll just edit it later :P. For now, forgive the flaws and enjoy! Thanks to IcyWaters for the first review! **


End file.
